


Green Eyes

by junjoumisaki



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, Past Child Abuse, Protectiveness, Soul Bond
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-22
Updated: 2016-10-22
Packaged: 2018-08-23 21:51:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8344153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junjoumisaki/pseuds/junjoumisaki
Summary: Bill met Harry while taking his siblings to board the Hogwarts Express. Never would he have guessed that the beautiful green eyed boy would turn out to be his soul mate.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I had posted this before, but somehow, in my brilliantly clumsy way, I accidentally deleted it... Now it's back! I fixed a few spelling errors I found, but probably not all. 
> 
> P.S. J.K. Rowling owns this. If I did, the original story would definitely not be as awesome.

“Hurry up guys! I need to get Ginny home, and pack so I can go back to Egypt tomorrow,” Bill yelled at his younger siblings as they were running towards platform 9 ¾. Bill’s mom was supposed to take them, but she had come down with the flu the night before, and though she was feeling better today, didn’t want to risk getting any of the kids sick, and his dad had work. Now his nice quiet vacation had turned into a mad rush to get his brothers to the Hogwarts Express before it left the station. He thanked Merlin that at least Percy was organized.

They reached the entrance to the platform, and Bill ordered Percy and the twins to go through. Just as Percy went through, he spotted a young boy. He was short, with black untamed hair, and circular glasses. But what really took his notice were the breathtakingly beautiful emerald green eyes; it was like seeing an oasis after being lost in the desert for a week. Clearly the boy was a wizard, unless muggles had started keeping owls as pets. The boy was standing there, watching as Percy disappeared into the brick wall that was platform 9 ¾. Bill guessed that he was a first year Halfblood or Muggleborn. He told the twins to take Ron and Ginny through, and walked over to the boy. “Are you trying to get to Hogwart?” he asked.

The boy just nodded shyly.

Bill thought it was probably the cutest thing he’d ever seen. Wait, what was he thinking. This kid is Ron’s age. “I’m Bill Weasley, what’s your name?”

“Harry Potter. Um, how did they do that, thing?” said Harry.

Bill’s eyes widened; no way was this kid Harry Potter. Great, not only was he thinking of an eleven year old as cute, now the kid was the famous Boy-Who-Lived. Mentally shaking his head, he said, “Do you want me to help you?”

“Please,” Harry said with a smile that made Bill groan internally. He wanted to see Harry smile like that after he’s come home from long day of work or after he’s handed him a mug of hot chocolate on a cold winter’s night and they are snuggled up on the couch.

 He was going to go to hell for sure. He wasn’t even sure what was making him think this way. He had never even liked guys before, why was this kid making him think of domestic life? Clearing his head of the oddly enjoyable thoughts, he told Harry to grab the cart. Bill placed himself behind him, his hands going around Harry’s small form, gripping the part of the handle that Harry wasn’t touching.  It felt right; having the boy encircled in his arms. Bill was started to get angry now. He wasn’t supposed to be having these thoughts about a kid! And it was a boy! Shaking away the thought, he said, “On the count of three, start running. One, two, three!” With that they were off.

Bill watched Harry’s eyes as looked around the magical platform in wonder. This kid was going to kill him, he was sure of it. No one should be that adorable. “Well Harry, it was nice to meet you,” he said, extending his hand.

Harry reached out, and shook the offered hand. “Nice meeting you too, Bill,” he said. Both of them jumped a little at the rush of magic that seemed to have entered them at the touch.

“Right, well, have a good time at Hogwarts,” Bill said awkwardly. He turned, mentally trying to shake off the bizarre feeling the magical rush had left him with. He headed over to where his brothers and sister were standing. On the walk over there, he contemplated on what that rush of magic had been about. He’d never felt anything like that before, and by the look on Harry’s face, neither had he. The fact that he couldn’t tell what it was angered him. The sound of the twins picking on “Ronnikins” drew him out of his thoughts.

“Oh, just look at him Forge! Our little Ronnikins has grown up!” shouted one of them. Honestly, who could tell them apart?

“Where has all the time gone, Gred? Our dear baby brother is off to start his life at school! I remember when he was just a little baby crawling about in his nappy,” the other said with mock sadness.

Ron was beet red, and about to yell at them when Bill beat him to it. “Cut it out you two,” he said.

The twins turned to look at him, and saw the angry look on his face. “What’s got our dear older brother so upset?” they asked him. Usually, Bill was laidback, and didn’t scold them for picking on Ron.

Bill sighed. He really needed to stop showing his feelings so openly. “It’s none of your business, now get on the train before it leaves without you,” he snapped at them. 

“Fine then, goodbye Bill!”

“Have a good time back in Egypt!”

“Don’t forget to write!” they shouted in their usual back-and-forth manner as they rushed to board the train.

Ron waved at him before hopping on board as well. With the other boys gone, Ginny attached herself to Bill arm. “Why can’t I get on as well,” she asked him.

“Because you’re not old enough, just wait. You’ll be going on it next year,” Bill responded absently. He was looking around for Harry. He told himself that is was to make sure he got on, but he really just wanted to see the green eyed beauty before he was gone. He spotted him in one of the train car windows. Their eyes locked as the train started moving out of the station. Before he was gone from sight, Bill waved a quick goodbye; wishing that he could have hugged him instead.

                                                                                              ***…***

After Bill took Ginny home, he wandered upstairs to his bedroom. His mind was racing with thoughts of that gorgeous, green-eyed boy named Harry. How was he supposed to live like this? He’d never thought about marriage before, and now all he could picture was getting married to Harry and raising a family together. It was almost sickening. Sure, wizards live for a long time so age isn’t really something a lot of people think about. But that is usually when they are forty and the other thirty. Not twenty-one and an eleven! That’s just not proper in any way.

Knowing that he could keep thinking about this all day and night, he pushed the thoughts out of his head, and laid down on his bed. Maybe a nap will help him forget Harry. Or at least let him forget for a while.

 

_“Ah! Bill!” the soft voice cried out in pleasure._

_Bill chuckled sexily. “It’s ok, I promise I’ll be gentle,” he purred, his hot breath brushing against the smooth skin before him. He leaned down, and kissed the soft neck of his lover; relishing in the moans that the body below him was making. He looked up at the face of his lover, and saw emerald green eyes staring back._

Bill bolted awake in shock. “Shit,” he thought aloud. Now he was having dirty dreams about him. This wasn’t just some passing fancy, was it? He had actually managed to fall for the boy after only meeting him once.

“Bill, watch your language!”

Bill nearly fell out of the bed. His mother stood in the doorway, glaring at his swearing, but that quickly faded into anxiety.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” he asked. He recognized that look; she only had it when one of them got hurt, badly. But he’d never seen this much anxiety in her eyes since Ron broke his leg, when he was little. “Did something happen to one of the kids at Hogwarts?”

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. “The headmaster called, and said he needed to see you. Apparently, Ron became friends with Harry Potter on the train. And after the sorting, on the way up to the common room, Harry collapsed.”

Bill was on his feet in an instant. “Is he alright?” he half shouted in worry. What could have caused the boy to faint?

“Yes, he’s alright, according to Madam Pomfrey. But the headmaster said he would like to see you. He said you could floo right into his office. Just say, Headmaster’s Office- Hogwarts.”

Bill grabbed his wand from where he had laid it before his nap, and rushed past his mother to the fireplace.

Mrs. Weasley was shocked at Bill’s reaction. It was almost like he knew Harry. Though, now that she thought about it, it was strange that the Headmaster wanted to see him. Curiosity peeked; she headed downstairs, wrote a hasty letter to her husband to let him know where she had gone, and then followed Bill through the floo.  

                                                                                             ***.***

Bill stumbled out of the fireplace in the Headmaster’s office. He looked around for the Headmaster, but the place was empty. Just as he was about to call out for him, a note flew up in front of his face. Quickly, he grabbed it from the air,

_Mr. Weasley,_

_Please join Harry and me in the infirmary._

_-Dumbledore_

Bill dropped the note, and ran out of the office to the infirmary; Praying every step of the way that Harry really was ok.

He slowed down as he reached the infirmary door. He stood there for a minute catching his breath, before he opened the door and stepped inside.

Dumbledore sat in a chair by one of the beds wearing a blinding neon-yellow robe with randomly flashing purple dots, making him easy to spot. But Bill payed little attention to the Headmaster, instead his eyes focused on the bed where Harry lay unconscious. He hurried over, and looked down at him. Harry looked pale, and his face marred in pain. His heart clenched painfully at the sight. “I-Is he going to be alright?” he asked, his voice low. The longer Bill stared at him the less pained he seemed to be, it confused him.

“Yes, he will be fine now,” Dumbledore said pleasantly, a knowing twinkle in his eyes. “Any longer, and I would have had to come and get you.”

Bill stared up at him in bewilderment. What did his being here have anything to do with Harry getting better?

Dumbledore nodded knowingly. “I understand your confusion. Something like this hasn’t been heard of since before the founders. It has been passed off as folk lore and myth. I was quite surprised to find it otherwise.”

Bill’s confusion began to turn toward anger. Why could Dumbledore never say just what it is he knew? “Would you mind explaining to me just what this ‘myth’ thing is?”

 “Of course Mr. Weasley, as it turns out, you and Mr. Potter are soul mates.”

Bill cocked his head to the side. “Soul mates,” he said skeptically. Soul mates don’t exist or so he thought. Even Dumbledore just said that he thought they were a myth. “How do you know we are soul mates?”

Dumbledore chuckled lightly. “Well, believe it or not, I had been reading a book called _Myths or Facts_ by Agatha Hornblossom, not long before the students arrived. The chapter I was reading was about Soul Mates. According to Agatha, after the soul mates meet, a magical bond forms between the two. It takes time for the bond to settle, and if that magic is stretched too far before it settles the submissive will fall into a fevered sleep, occasionally mumbling the name of the soul mate. For only the person’s soul mate’s presents can cure them. And that’s why I knew to contact you.”

Bill stared at Dumbledore in wonder. “So he mumbled my name in his fevered state, and you thought it was because I was his soul mate? What if he had meant someone else named Bill?” Had the Headmaster finally lost it? Just because someone says someone’s name while sick doesn’t mean it’s some magical sign that that person is their soul mate. A little jealousy burned through at the thought of Harry talking about someone else with is name, but he couldn’t deny the part of him that was happy to think that he and Harry were meant to be together.

 “Just to confirm that you are his soul mate, would you mind telling me how you met, and if there was anything odd about it?” Dumbledore said.

Bill sat on the edge of Harry’s bed, gently stroking one of his hands or occasionally his hair, his eyes never leaving the still form the entire time he was talking. He told Dumbledore everything about how they had met; including his weird thoughts about the boy and the rush of magic they had both felt. And how his thoughts kept straying to Harry even after he’d gone home (conveniently omitting the odd dream, of course). He desperately hoped that he was Harry’s soul mate; otherwise Dumbledore would think he was a pervert for having a crush on an eleven year old boy he’d only talked to for a few minutes.

Dumbledore could plainly see the confusion, disgust, and happiness in Bill’s features as he talked about his meeting with Harry and his thoughts afterward. Dumbledore could understand it. Bill was only twenty-one, but even a seventh year at Hogwarts would be uncomfortable if they developed feelings for a first year. Even so, Bill would have to get used to the idea that Harry was so young. It was clear to him that they were indeed soul mates. Harry’s fever had gone down, and Bill was too over-protective and affectionate of Harry considering they had only seen each other for a few minutes this morning.

As Bill finished his tale, Dumbledore spotted Mr. and Mrs. Weasley listening by the door; judging by their faces, they heard everything. “Molly, Arthur, why don’t you come in and join us,” he said.

Bill’s head shot around to face the door so quickly it nearly gave him whiplash. “Mom, Dad, what are you do here?” he asked. He was mortified. He could tell that his parents had heard everything by the way they looked at him, it was a combination of surprise, confusion, and something he couldn’t identify, but guessed it wasn’t anything good. Great, his own parents thought he was disgusting.

                                                                                               ***.***

Mr. Weasley had arrived home just after Molly had left for Hogwarts. After reading the letter, he dashed over to the fire and flooed to the school. He had easily caught up to Molly, and they had arrived outside the door just in time for Bill to start talking. He looked from Dumbledore to Bill and Harry. He couldn’t see his son’s face, but he could tell by the gentle touches he gave harry, that Bill cared deeply for the small boy. He turned his vision back to Dumbledore. “Is it true that they are soul mates?” he asked.

Dumbledore nodded his head. “Yes, they are truly soul mates.”

“Will it always affect their health when one of them is away from the other?” Mrs. Weasley asked, concerned. She didn’t want her son or his soul mate to be in pain if they were separated. She had been surprised to hear all of that (especially considering the age difference), but if it meant that her son would be loved, and be loved in return, she would be happy for them.

Dumbledore shook his head. “No, the reason Harry got sick was because the bond had just started forming. So long as Bill and Harry are within semi-close proximity to each other for the next few weeks they should be fine.”

Bill tore his gaze away from his sleeping soul mate. “You mean I can’t leave his side for a month or he’ll collapse again?” he asked worriedly. He didn’t want to leave Harry’s side, but he was worried about keeping himself restrained. He was already having dreams about doing stuff to Harry; he didn’t want them to become a reality, especially since Harry was so young. Not to mention the goblins might not give him that much time off.

“You don’t have to be directly by his side,” Dumbledore said. “Just being in the castle should be close enough. But it would be best if you were with him as much as possible. The bond may bind you two together, but you’ll need to form a personal relationship with him. You can’t just be the soul mate he knows he has, but doesn’t know anything about. The soul bond is like a marriage bond, but stronger and more powerful. While the marriage bond is just a magical, personal, and physical bond, the magical bond in normal wizards cannot be form naturally, and needs a third party to bind them together. A soul mate’s bond naturally forms the magical bond, and also connects the individual’s souls together. All that’s left for the pair to do is form the personal and physical connections for it to be completed. Once that is done, I have no clue what to expect. The book said that the ‘ _gift_ ’ given to each couple is different and unique. I have more information to tell you, but that can wait until tomorrow when Harry’s awake.”

Bill nodded. He knew that he had to get to know Harry; that he needed to get to know Harry. Something told him that it wouldn’t be too hard to become friends with his little mate.

He heard his parents talking to Dumbledore behind him. He still hadn’t looked at them since they had come in. He couldn’t stand to see the disappointment in their eyes. Who would be proud of a son who was practically married to an eleven year old? What they had said earlier sounded a little like they were concerned for him, but he was sure he was just imagining it. He’d seen that odd look on their faces, there was little to no chance that they were going to accept this. He jumped a little when a hand was placed on his shoulder. He turned, and looked up into the eyes of his mother. A quick glance around the room told him that Dumbledore had left while he had been lost in thought.

Bill watched as his mother and father sat on the bed across from him. Both looked like they had questions, and he was starting to panic thinking about what those questions could be. There was no way he was leaving Harry, even if they begged him to. He found it odd that he was so protective, and caring for the boy, but he guessed it had something to do with the… soul bond. 

Mrs. Weasley was the first to break the silence. “Bill, we aren’t upset with you, if that is what you’re thinking,” never let it be said that Molly Weasley didn’t understand her own children. “We are shocked, and a little worried about the struggles you both will have to go through, but we could never be disappointed. You have something with Harry that most wizarding couples could only wish for. So don’t go thinking we would try to separate you from Harry. You belong together, and anyone who says differently will face me.”

Bill smiled at his mom’s words. She always did know what he was thinking, and how to make him feel better. “Thank you,” he said quietly. Now all he needed was for Harry to wake up. He wanted to see those beautiful green eyes, and tell him about their bond. Hopefully he would take the news well.

Mr. Weasley grabbed his wife’s hand gently, and pulled her to her feet. He could see that Bill was feeling a little overwhelmed by all the information that had been given to him, they all were. But Bill was definitely feeling it more than he or Molly. Not only had he been told all the information about his soul bond, he now had to share it with Harry when he awoke, and hope the boy takes it well. Plus he had also been affected by the stretch on their soul bond. “Dumbledore said he most likely won’t wake up till the morning. Why don’t you get some sleep as well? Your mother and I will come back tomorrow to check on you both,” he said softly.

“Thanks Dad, I’ll see you both in the morning.”

Bill watched as the door to the infirmary closed behind his parents. He really couldn’t wish for better parents. He couldn’t believe he had doubted them. He felt a little ashamed at that fact, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

He stood up and took his wand out of his pocket, placing it on the night stand. He supposed that he should get some sleep since Harry wasn’t likely to wake up until morning. He moved to climb into the other bed, but something held him back. He could feel his magic pulling his towards the boy; it was almost as if it was speaking to him. Harry was scared, and needed him to be close. That he needed the comfort of his soul mate’s warmth.

Giving into the voice, Bill gently moved Harry’s body over a little bit on the mattress. He was surprised at how light Harry was, but was too tired to give it much thought. He climbed into the small infirmary bed, and wrapped his arms around Harry’s small waist. A flash of concern and anger ran through him when he noticed just how thin the boy really was. He wanted to wake them boy up and make him tell him why he was so thin, but knew that it would only make Harry suffer more if he did. Pushing down his anger, and filing the question away for later, he pulled the boy gently against his chest. He fell asleep thinking about how right Harry felt lying next to him. 


	2. A Chance at Happily Ever After

Bill opened his eyes slowly, the bright light of the sun temporally blinding him. He blinked a few times to adjust his eyes to the light. Once his vision was cleared, he found himself drowning in the most beautiful emerald green eyes.

Harry was lying on his side, propped up slightly by his elbow. He was looking down at the man sharing his bed quizzically. He had no clue as to why Bill would be at Hogwarts, let alone sharing his bed. He’d been awake for a while now just looking at the red haired man. He was quite handsome with his long hair and sharp features.  After a minute of staring into Bill’s ocean blue eyes, he asked the question that had been on his mind since he awoke, “Bill, why are you in my bed?”

Bill snickered slightly at the boys puzzled look; he truly was the embodiment of adorableness. Then everything he had been told last night came crashing down on him, his smile faded. He turned, looking down at the white infirmary sheets. How was he supposed to explain all of this to a first year? You can’t just say ‘Hey, I know we just met yesterday, but guess what? I’m your soul mate and we are supposed to be together for the rest of our lives!’ he thought despairingly.  

“Bill, is something wrong?” Harry asked, his voice rising a little in fear. Bill had been smiling before he asked that question. The room they were in looked odd as well. It was more like a hospital than a dorm room.

Bill looked up into Harry’s worried eyes. He didn’t like seeing that look in his eyes. His Harry should always be happy, and never be worried or scared. He drew a deep breath before speaking. “Harry why don’t we sit up, and I’ll explain just why I’m here?” He watched as Harry gracefully pulled himself into a sitting position, his back resting against the metal headboard. The boy was certainly going to be the type that attracts a lot of unwanted attention. His heart clenched in jealousy; he would have to keep an eye on him to make sure no one tried anything. He wanted to be the only person to see how beautiful Harry was, but he knew that the boy would hate him if he tried to keep him away from his friends.

As Bill shifted so that he was sitting facing Harry, he thought about how odd it was; that he was so over-protective of the boy. He’d never been like this with any of the people he had dated in the past. He would have to ask Dumbledore if it was normal for him to be feeling this way.

 Bill decided it would be best to ask Harry an easy question first. “How much of last night do you remember?”

Harry thought back to the night before. He remembered Ron and him being sorted into Gryffindor, the best food he’d ever eaten in his life, and then, and then… nothing. It was like a black wall covered the memories that should be there. “I don’t remember leaving the Gryffindor table… I can’t remember,” his voice shook slightly as he spoke. He hated waking up with memory blocks; it usually meant that he had been seriously hurt. His body began to tremor uncontrollably.

Bill reached out, and pulled the shaking boy into a hug. “Sh, it’s ok. You are in the infirmary at Hogwarts. You passed out on your way to the Gryffindor common room,” he said softly. He was a little surprised at Harry’s reaction to the fact that he couldn’t remember leaving dinner. He wasn’t just scared, he was terrified of something. Another question he had to ask him. He hadn’t forgotten about how horribly thin Harry was, and he was going to get answers. But those could wait, right now he needed to explain the soul bond.

Reluctantly, Bill released the small boy. He rubbed his neck; this was going to be awkward. “The reason you passed out was partially my fault, actually.”

“Why would it be your fault?” Harry asked, confused. His fear had almost completely gone away once Bill had held him in his arms. That was the first hug he could remembered receiving, and he found himself wishing Bill would give him another one.

Bill was getting nervous. He hoped that Harry was ok with being with him being a man otherwise this was going to be even more difficult. “Did you feel a shock when we shook hands yesterday at the train station?”

“Yes, but I thought it was just my imagination.”

Bill sighed. Now came the hard part. “Well, it wasn’t your imagination. I felt it too. That- the shock was sort of a sign that… well…” there really was no other way to put it, “We’re soul mates. Apparently, if we are separated before the magic and soul bond forming between us is complete, you will fall into a fevered sleep. Kind of like that muggle tale about the sleeping girl,” he watched Harry’s eyes for any signs of disgust or shock from the statement. But instead of hatred, he found them filled with, obviously shock, but also with what almost looked like happiness.

Harry was indeed shocked, but he was also a little happy. He had a soul mate, and it was a man. Not just any man, the very one he’d been thinking about since they’d met. Harry had worked out that he liked boys when he was almost ten, but his uncle said that all gays were freaks like him. So he had planned on never mentioning it, and never dating anyone. Gays weren’t really accepted in the nor— muggle world, why would they be in the wizarding?  “You and I are soul mates?” he said quietly. “Won’t people think we are… freaks?”

Bill hated to see that pained look that came into Harry’s eyes at the word ‘freaks’. Bill thought back to the happiness he saw in Harry’s eye just moments before, when he had said that they were soul mates. Maybe Harry was gay, but someone told him that it was wrong. He didn’t know too much about the muggle world, but he did know that gays were not always welcomed into society. Wanting to rest his little mate’s fears, he said, “Harry, gays may not be liked much in both the muggle and wizarding worlds, but it is becoming more and more acceptable. No one will think we are freaks. Soul Bonds are very rare, and were thought to be a myth until now. If they don’t accept that we are both men, they will accept that our magic was fated to be together and get over it; if there is one thing that all wizards agree on, it’s that things Magic creates itself are indisputable.”

Harry had been a little worried when Bill first started talking, but as he continued he began to relax. They may not be accepted for being men, but they would be accepted anyways because they were soul mates. What exactly did it mean to be soul mates? The only thing Harry knew about soul mates was from an old fairy tale book that belonged to his cousin Dudley. It said that soul mates were people who were fated to meet; they married, and lived happily ever after. He had always wanted a have a happily ever after. 

 He wondered if Bill was gay as well. If not, this was going to be a lot harder. He wanted Bill to like him, but he didn’t want to force him to just because they were soul mates. And Bill seemed like he was older than him by at least eight years. What grown man would want to be bound to a scrawny little kid?

 “Um, Bill,” Harry said. This was going to be uncomfortable but he might as well say it. “Are you ok with me being a boy? I mean if you like girls, won’t it be hard for you to be with me? I’m ok with it since I like boys, and I’ve… Um… actually been thinking a lot about you since we met,” he’s cheeks flushing darker  with each word of the awkward confession.” but I don’t want you to feel obligated to me because of this bond thing.”

Bill cleared his throat awkwardly. Well now he knew that Harry liked not only liked men, but him specifically. Since Harry had opened up to him, it was only fair that he opened up as well. “I have dated a few girls in the past, and had never thought about men in a romantic way,” Bill saw the slight look of hurt in Harry’s green eyes at that statement, and quickly continued on. “That is until I met you. When I first saw you, I thought about how nice it would be to come home from work every day just to see your smile directed at me. You are the first person to ever make me think that settling down and starting a family might not be such a bad idea. I hope you aren’t grossed out by the fact that a man 10 years your senior was thinking about you in such a way.”

Harry smile almost blinded him. The kid really was just too perfect.

“I’m not grossed out,” he said, the smile never leaving his face as he spoke. “I’m glad you like me too.”

                                                                             

                                                                                     ***.***

Dumbledore had stayed up late finishing the chapter on Soul Bonds in Agatha Hornblossom’s book, but there wasn’t much more information to be had; besides, who was to say if all of the information in it was true or not. It was in a book called ‘ _Myths or Facts’._ Still, he would tell them all the information on it as he could. He also wrote a letter to the Goblins informing them of the soul bond between Bill and Harry, and how he would be unable to return to work until a month had passed. He figured they would give Bill the month off. Goblins cared about natural magic even more than wizards do, and would understand his need to be close to his mate.

Breakfast had just ended, he had talked to a few of the professors during the meal; He didn’t want Bill to just laze around the castle, and had some up with an idea to help keep the boy busy. Now Dumbledore was upstairs sitting in his office waiting for the Weasleys to arrive. Arthur and Molly had said that they would try to be there by breakfast, but that was almost over. It was alright though; Poppy had told him that the boys had just woken up when he was leaving Great Hall, and he wanted them to have a chance to speak to each other before he and Bill’s parents talked with them.

He had a few rules he wanted followed since Bill and Harry had such a large age gap, and he was sure Molly had a few of her own. He also needed to talk to Bill about how he would like to spend his time here at Hogwarts

He also had a few important questions for Harry. Poppy’s medical scan of him came back with some alarming results, and he needed to figure out why that was. If it had been at the hands of his relatives, he needed to be moved. But where could he go? It was honestly the safest place for him. The sound of the floo activating pulled him away from the puzzling dilemma. 

Arthur and Molly stumbled out of the fireplace in a cloud of floo powder.

There was his answer! The book had said something about the dominate partner being able to sense if the submissive was in serious danger. It also said that it was magically impossible (or so the book said) to find a Soul Bonded unless one of the bonded pair was trying to find the other. Harry would stay with the Weasleys; if it was his relatives abusing him. There was no way Molly would let anyone harm a child, and Bill could visit them regularly.

Standing up, he said, “Arthur, Molly, good morning. Have you recovered from yesterday’s news?”

Arthur was the first to answer. “Yes, we have. Though we are concerned about how Harry will take it. Bill had definitely been feeling overwhelmed.”

Molly started speaking as soon as her husband stopped. “Are they awake yet? We would like to talk to them. I want to get to know my son’s soul mate.”

Dumbledore chuckled lightly. “Yes, I do believe they are. Shall we head down then?”                                                                      

 

                                                                                     ***.***

Bill and Harry were sitting next to each other on the small bed; both leaning against the headboard. Bill was explaining the rules of Quidditch to the eager looking boy. They were completely lost in their own world, time for a bit of fun. “Well it seems like you two are getting along. I guess you’ve told him about the soul bond,” Dumbledore’s voice boomed throughout the infirmary.

Bill and Harry nearly fell out the narrow bed in fright. Steading themselves, they looked towards the direction the voice came from.

By the infirmary door, Dumbledore and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were laughing uncontrollably at the frightened boys.  

Mrs. Weasley was the first to control her laughter. Still chuckling, she bustled over to where they sat. She pulled Bill into a tight hug before turning her attention to Harry. Not wanting to scare the boy, she sat down on the bed next to the one Bill and Harry were sharing. “Hello Harry, I’m Mrs. Weasley, Bill’s mom,” she said with a warm smile. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

Harry smiled shyly back at her, eyes downcast, and his hand gripping Bill’s tightly. Mrs. Weasley looked like a nice person, and she was Bill’s mom, but he was still nervous. He was fine around people his own age, but adults worried him. In fact the only adults he’d met that didn’t scare him were: Hagrid (because he was the first person to be nice to him. He’d brought him a birthday cake, and gave Dudley a pig’s tail), and Bill. He guessed he wasn’t scared of Bill because his soul had instantly recognized him as someone trustworthy.

Bill flinched at the pressure being applied to his hand. For someone so small, Harry sure had a strong grip. He looked at him worriedly. It was obvious that Harry was scared. But scared of what, surely not his mom? Unless... He leaned down so that his lips were close to Harry’s ear, and whispered quietly. “She won’t hurt you. My mom may be loud, but she would never hurt you.”

Harry felt himself relaxing at Bill’s words. He knew Bill wouldn’t lie to him; something told him that he _couldn’t_ lie to him. “It’s nice to meet you too,” he said quietly, still not letting go of Bill’s large hand.

Dumbledore was extremely troubled. Harry had been scared of Mrs. Weasley even though she wasn’t even close to him. Just how badly had he been scarred by his abusers? But those questions about him could wait until after they talked about the bond. Harry would likely bottle up if they immediately began asking about that.

“So Harry,” Dumbledore said kindly. “Bill told you that you were soul mates, correct?” at Harry’s nod he continued. “Because you two cannot be too far away from each other, Bill will be staying at the castle until the bond settles. You will be able to attend classes normally for the bond doesn’t require you to be in the same room, but it would be best if you spent most of your free time with him.”

Bill thought that it was great that Harry could go to class, but what was he going to do? He didn’t want to just lie about all day. He was used to exploring tombs; he couldn’t stand to just sit around Hogwarts for a month and not do anything. Maybe later he could ask Dumbledore about giving him a temporary job around Hogwarts.

The opportunity for him to do that came earlier than expected; for right after he thought that, Madam Pomfrey came into the room saying that she needed to look over Harry again, and that they needed to step out of the infirmary for a minute. Bill gently removed Harry’s hand from his own, and with a reassuring smile, stepped out of the infirmary.

Once they were in the hallway, Bill turned to face Dumbledore. “Sir, I can’t just sit around the castle for a month, I’ll go nuts.”

Dumbledore chuckled, and put a lemon drop in his mouth that he had pulled out of one of his pockets. “No, my dear boy, you can’t. But I believe I have a solution for that. I talked to professors Flitwick and McGonagall this morning. You did quite well in both Transfiguration and Charms, and they both said that they would be happy to have you help them teach their classes. I figured you could pick which one you would rather teach if you were ok with being an assistant teacher.”

Bill smiled, instantly knowing which class he would like to teach for. He was a little shocked that the teacher liked him enough to have him be an assistant; he had been a bit of a trouble maker during his time in school, nowhere near as bad as the twins, but still. “I think I’d like to help out Professor Flitwick. Charms had been one of my favorite classes,” he said.

Dumbledore smiled, “I will let Flitwick know that he will have an assistant later on today. But now that I have you away from Harry, I would like to talk to you about a few things. Harry is too young to know what exactly it is he his feeling from being near his bond mate, but _you_ know. You are going to have to restrain yourself around him. When you and Harry are together, please don’t do anything other than handholding. I know that your magic wants you to complete the bond, but Harry is too young for that. So please, no more sleeping in the same bed even if you are not doing anything.”

Mrs. Weasley immediately began speaking as soon as Dumbledore stopped. “Dumbledore is right; I don’t want you to do anything with Harry while he’s so young. And if I have found out that you have, you can bet that you will be regretting it even after you are dead,” she said threateningly.

Bill gulped audibly. Dumbledore knew that he had slept in Harry’s bed! It wasn’t like he was going to take Harry right now; he was only eleven! But his mom’s warning would definitely make him keep his hands to himself until Harry was older. No way was he going to piss her off.

He was about to respond when the infirmary door creaked open. Everyone’s eyes were immediately drawn to the shaking figure walking out of the door.

Madam Pomfrey slowly walked out into the hallway. “Headmaster, I’m sorry. He seemed nervous to be alone in there with me, but I had chalked it up to him just not knowing me. I know you wanted to be the one to ask Harry about his injuries, but when I found another one, I had to ask him how he got it. And now He- He’s hiding under the bed crying. I can’t make him come out,” she cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like the name Agatha for some reason unknown to me.


	3. The Godfather

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent at least 20 minutes scouring through different fonts trying to find the perfect one for the letter that is written in this chapter, but all you guys get to see is the standard font... Sucks for you I guess.

Bill didn’t even think. As soon as Madame Pomfrey finished speaking, he was in the infirmary kneeling next to the bed Harry had been in. What he saw under there broke his heart. Harry was curled up close to the head of the bed, tears streaking down his cheeks, and his breath coming out in ragged gasps.

Bill forced the lump in his throat down. He needed to be strong for his little Green Eyes. “Harry… Harry, it’s ok. I’m here, I’m here,” he said gently, as he slowly extended his hand out to the shaking boy. “Will you come out?” He saw the slight shake of Harry’s head as the boy tried to curl farther away from him, but the sobs had quieted to a faint sniffling and occasional choked sobs.

He bit his lip in worry. How was he supposed to comfort Harry if the boy wouldn’t come out? He didn’t want to force him out; that would only serve to make the boy more scared. Then it hit him. “Harry, I won’t make you come out if you don’t want to. Would you mind if I came under there with you?”

Harry contemplated this for a minute. He felt safe under the bed where it was dark, but he also felt safe around Bill. The nurse lady scared him, and he didn’t want to see her. She wasn’t supposed to know about his injuries; no one was supposed to know about them. His uncle didn’t want people to know. But… but Bill could know, right? Bill was his soul mate, and soul mates were meant to trust each other, and not keep secrets. Plus his uncle didn’t need to know that he talked to Bill. Not trusting his voice, he slowly nodded his head.

Bill almost sighed in relief when Harry nodded yes. He looked up at the adults, and motioned for them to stay where they were. “Harry,” he said, looking back under the bed. “I’m going to make the space under the bed a little bigger so that we can both fit, ok?” Harry didn’t respond, but Bill could see the answer in his eyes. He pulled out his wand, and expanded the underside of the bed so that he and Harry could sit up comfortably. Once he was done, he climbed under.  Harry had uncurled himself, and had moved over, allowing Bill to sit next to him; his back leaning up against the stone wall.

Once Bill was seated, they were both unsure as to what they should do. Bill desperately wanted to hold Harry in his arms to protect him, and Harry wanted Bill to hug him; he’d never really been hugged before, but he’d seen his aunt do it to Dudley when he was upset and it always calmed his whale of a cousin.

Pulling out some of that bravery that had managed to get him placed into Gryffindor, Harry carefully crawled in between Bill legs, and pressed his back to the older man’s chest. He was still shaking, but his harsh sobs had turned into silent tears. But when he felt that strong stomach tense, he choked on a suppressed cry. Bill obviously didn’t want him so close; he was stupid to think that he would. He went to shift away from his mate when he was halted by two strong arms curling around his waist.

Bill had been shocked, to say the least, when the small boy had placed himself in the middle of his legs. He could tell that tensing up was a bad idea when he felt Harry stiffen as well, and move to get up. In desperation, he quickly wrapped his arms around the boy and pulled him close. “Please, stay,” he whispered into his ear. “I was just surprised. Please, stay where you are. I don’t want to let go of you.”

Once Harry had relaxed into his chest, Bill remained silent for a few minutes, allowing them both to collect their thoughts. This talk was not going to be easy on either of them. He didn’t want to force Harry into talking, but unless he said what was happening to him at that house they couldn’t remove him.

“Harry?” Bill said, finally breaking the silence. “Harry, why don’t you like people touching you?” He decided to ask a broad question, making it so that Harry could go into as little or as much detail as he wanted. He felt Harry tense up again, and worried he hadn’t given Harry enough time.

Harry had been quietly enjoying being held in Bill’s warm arms. It was the first time anyone had held him with affection, and he was determined to enjoy it. He was still a little lost in memories of his uncle’s house, but the firm chest and loving arms were quickly pushing those thoughts from his head. Or at least they were until Bill decided to bring them back by asking the one question he knew was coming, but had been trying to forget.  

Bill began rubbing soothing circles on his arms causing him to loosen up. It was amazing just how calm being around Bill made him; when he had been panicking, just seeing his mate made him calm down to a more reasonable state of mind. Bill had been kind and gentle. He didn’t push for him to come out from under the bed. He let him have the comfort of the dark space, and had even joined him. Now he was waiting patiently for him to talk about his ‘family’.

Where was he even supposed to begin? Well, might as well start with the question Bill had asked. “You are the only p-person I haven’t minded touching me. I think it might have something to do with the whole soul mate thing. A-Anyways, I don’t mind people my own age so much, but I really don’t like adult t-touching me. M-My uncle and aunt have never touched me. At least not gentle or k-kind touches, they only touched me to… to h-hit me. T-They called me a _f-freak,_ and told me n-no one could l-love me… My c-cousin would h-hurt me as well, but there was always the chance that I could outrun him and his gang,” he paused here, unsure of what to say next.

During the pause, Bill took this time to mull over the information Harry have just given him. He was furious, but was cautious not to tense or show how mad he was in case it scared his Green Eyes. His family, _his own fucking family,_ never gave him a hug or told him that he was loved? What kind of monsters would do that to a child? His Harry deserved so much better than that; any child deserves better. He had to stop his internal tirade when Harry began speaking again.

“Until I got my Hogwarts letter, I lived in the cupboard under the stairs. I-It was dark, and small under there, so small I couldn’t even stand up in it. I had to make them food, and if I was lucky, I would be able to get a b-burnt piece of toast or bacon. But I would also be p-punished for burning it. Occasionally, I would get an apple or a banana, but that was rare. I-I had to finish a list of chores or I wouldn’t get any food for dinner, but the l-list was so long that my aunt probably couldn’t even have finished it in one day. H-how was I supposed to… I was only six,” tears were running freely down his face now. “My uncle would b-beat me with his b-belt because I didn’t shine his shoes correctly or because I didn’t weed the garden well enough. Sometimes it wouldn’t e-even b-be a b-belt it would be whatever w-was on h-hand: a shoe, pan, b-baseball b-bat… I just wanted it to s-stop… I just—,” he was cut off as Bill squeezed him tightly.

“You don’t have to say anymore,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. “I’m so sorry, Harry… I’m so sorry… I wish I could have been there for you. I feel like I’ve let you down. I’m your _soul mate_! I should have known; I should have been there to protect you. I—,”

“Bill, Bill!” Harry cried, shifting in his mates lap so that he was now facing him. Bill was hunched over, tears flowing freely, dropping soundlessly into his lap. Harry grabbed Bill’s face, placing a hand on both sides of his face, forcing him to look up into his eyes. “It’s not your fault Bill. You couldn’t have known.”

Bill gently pulled his head free of Harry’s embrace, and pulled the boy close to him, hugging him fiercely. He wanted to take all of Harry’s pain away. He knew that he didn’t know everything that Harry had suffered, but he knew enough; His mate was never, ever going back to the hell house. And if he ever catches one of Harry’s relatives, damn the consequences, he’s going to hex them within an inch of their life. Realizing that he was getting too worked up, he took a deep breath and forced himself to relax.

Together they sat there, underneath the magically expanded infirmary bed, holding onto each other like their lives depended on it, crying. One because he had suffered so much, and now he knew what it was like to be loved and protected, the other because his mate had suffered so much and he felt like he had let him down, but he would do better. He would never let Harry suffer again.

After what felt like hours, the two boys drew apart. “We really should go back out,” Bill said. “Madame Pomfrey needs to heal your injuries.”

“No!” Harry cried, clinging to Bill once again. “Please, don’t let her near me, she s-scares me.”

Bill gently ran his fingers through Harry’s soft hair, “Its ok. Madame Pomfrey won’t hurt you. But if I remember correctly, Professor Snape is a licensed healer, would you prefer him?” Bill wasn’t overly fond of his old professor, but would deal with him if Harry wanted someone else. He couldn’t really blame him for being afraid of Madame Pomfrey; she had sent him into a panic.

Harry thought about it for a minute, trying to remember which one was Professor Snape. “He was the thin guy wearing all black, had a huge nose, and greasy hair at the entrance ceremony, right?”

Bill nearly choked while trying to suppress his laughter. “Yes, that’s him.”

“I-I think I’d be ok with him,” Harry said, quietly.

Bill smiled warmly at Harry, “Well then let’s go tell Dumbledore that you want Professor Snape to heal you. Come on.”

The both crawled out from under the bed at the same time. Bill and Harry stood up, and noticed that there was a new addition to the room. Professor Snape stood next to Dumbledore, holding an old but official looking letter in his hand. All the adults, except Dumbledore, had grim expressions plastered on their faces.

“How kind of you to finally join us,” drawled the dark Professor. “I have some news for Mr. Po— Harry that you both should hear.” 

 

                                                                                             ***.***

Snape rarely received letters, and usually what he did receive was only a short bank statement. So when an owl delivered two letters from Gringotts, he was intrigued. He quickly ate his breakfast, and walked to his classroom. Once there, he inspected both the letters. One was an official Gringotts letter, and the other was yellowed and crinkly; obviously it had been written a long time ago.

He opened the newer one first. It was an apology letter explaining that they had somehow misplaced the older letter, and were looking for the reason as to why it had been lost. They also offered a small compensation for the mistake.  

Curious as to what the old letter contained, he carefully picked it up then nearly dropped it when he recognized the graceful, beautiful handwriting; Lily’s. Lily had written him a letter. Slowly, and with shaking hands, he opened up the once lost letter. There was one hand written note, and a few other more official looking documents. He placed the documents to the side with barely a glance, and read the note:

My dear friend,

If you are reading this I must be dead. I wish I could have told you this in person,   
but James and I had gone into hiding before I could. James is truly sorry for always  
picking on you in schools, and I forgive you for everything that you have done or said  
that hurt me. We’ve decided to name you Harry’s other Godfather. James and I were unsure   
if Sirius would come out of the war ok; if he didn’t, we wanted you to raise Harry.   
I have enclosed adoption papers with this note in case something does happen, and Sirius   
cannot take custody of him. I know that you don’t really like children, but I believe that you will   
raise our little one to be strong, passionate, and caring.  
You don’t have to sign them, but please Sev, please do it for me. I will be able to  
rest in peace knowing that my best friend is watching out for my son.

Forever your friend,   
Lily Potter

Snape closed his eyes. He was Harry’s godfather? The thought seemed so unreal. How was any of this possible? James was sorry for bullying him, Lily… Lily forgave him for everything. It was like a chunk of all the regret and anger he’d been carrying had disappeared. Tears formed in his eyes. He quickly spelled a note to the door of his classroom saying classes were canceled for the day. He sat there in his office chair, gazing at the note and adoption papers in a silent daze.

Eventually he managed to collect himself. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but he was judging at least half an hour. He needed to speak with the Headmaster immediately, and Harry. He picked up the papers, and hurried out of the room heading towards the Headmaster’s Office. He wouldn’t sign the papers without Harry’s consent. After all, the boy was eleven now, and if he liked it where he was, who was he to take him away from his home. At the feast last night the boy looked so much like James it hurt, but his eyes… he would give the boy the chance to prove he was Lily’s son.

He reached the office in record time, but found it empty. Damn that man for never being somewhere easily found. On his way back down, he came across Minerva. “Do you know where the headmaster is? I need to speak with him on a matter of great importance.”

“I believe he is with Mr. Potter in the infirmary,” she said.

Snape was surprised. “Why is Harry in the infirmary?” he asked. Was he going to be ok?

The transfiguration Professor jolted in shock. It wasn’t like Severus to use student’s first names. Plus it was completely unprofessional. “ _Mr. Potter_ passed out on the way to the common room last night,” she said calmly. “He shou—” Snape didn’t wait around to hear the rest of what she said. He walked briskly past her heading for the infirmary; he wanted to make sure his godson was alright.

He silently stepped into the infirmary wing, and was greeted by a strange sight. Dumbledore, Madame Pomfrey, and oddly enough Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were all standing in a semicircle looking worried at an empty bed muttering quietly. He briefly wondered if they had all lost their minds, and cleared his throat to draw attention to the fact that he had entered the room.

“Ah! Severus,” Dumbledore said brightly. “Just the man I wanted to see.”

Snape raised an eyebrow in a questioning manner.

“You see, we believe Harry is being abused by his relatives. He has several injuries, but it appears Madame Pomfrey scared him before she could administer any potions to him. I’m guessing that when Bill convinces him to come out, he won’t want her to heal him. Would you mind tending to him if that is the case?”

Severus breathed in sharply. Harry had been abused… Wait, “What do you mean ‘when Bill convinces him to come out’?”

“Well you see,” and Dumbledore proceeded to tell him about the soul bond, and the reasons they believe Harry was abused. Once he was finish he said, “So once Harry tells Bill what happened, we will be able to remove him from that house and hopefully place him with the Weasleys.”

Severus shifted awkwardly. Not only did he just find out he was Harry’s godfather, but now he’s learned that the boy (who should have been in his charge all along) had a soul mate, and was abused by his family. Now he had to inform the headmaster that Harry was supposed to be living with him.

“Sir,” he said quietly. “I believe you should read this before deciding where the boy should live. I should have received it ten years ago, but Gringotts made a mistake and I just got it this morning,” with that, he handed over the letter from Gringotts, the note, and the adoption forms signed by both James and Lily.

Dumbledore read the letter and looked gravely up at Severus. “Would you have taken him in if you had received this all those years ago?” he asked sternly. He loved Severus like a son, but he was unsure about his ability to let go of old grudges. It was quite obvious that Harry looked an awful lot like James, and Severus might not have been able to see past that.

Severus looked hard into Dumbledore’s ice blue eyes. “Yes, without hesitation. I’ll take him in now if he wants. I will not force him to live with me though.”

“Alright,” Dumbledore sighed. “If he agrees, I have no problems.”

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had watched the exchange in confused silence. Unable to curb her curiosity anymore, Molly asked, “What do you mean ‘live with you’?”

“My dear Madame,” Severus said in his teacher voice. He wasn’t trying to be rude, but he did not want to deal with Molly Weasley’s overbearing, child protecting, Slytherin mistrusting personality at that moment. “I was given adoption papers for Mr. Potter by his mother and father to only be used if they passed.” Seeing the redhead getting ready to argue, he quickly continued on. “I had no previous knowledge of these papers. If you wish you may read the letters, yourself.”

Molly snatched the papers from the professor, and quickly read through them. Once she was finished, Severus took them back, and patiently put them back in order. Everyone was a little upset by this turn of events except Severus; he was upset that everyone seemed to think him an incompetent fool unable to care for the child of his best friend. He was a teacher for Merlin’s sake!

It was at this moment that Harry and Bill decided to emerge from under the bed.

 

                                                                                           ***.***

Bill didn’t like the look of everyone in the room, and unconsciously pulled Harry close to him. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“Severus just gave us some new information that’s all,” Dumbledore said in that kind grandfatherly voice that makes one believe he is trustworthy. “Are you feeling better, Harry.”

Harry nodded slightly, and moved a little closer to Bill. He didn’t like that the room was filled with troubled looking faces.

The Headmaster smiled warmly. “Are you ready for Madame Pomfrey to heal your injuries?”

Bill tightened his grip on Harry’s arm. Not much, but enough to let him know that he would handle it. “Harry wanted Severus to heal him, if that’s alright?” he said. “He’s still a little nervous after what happened. Smiling sadly, Dumbledore motioned for Severus to take care of Harry.

Severus motioned for Bill to lay Harry on the bed, before telling all of the other adults to leave. Poppy was a little angry about being told to leave _her_ infirmary, but complied anyways. Once they were gone, he turned to face the boy and his mate. He saw Harry’s death grip on Bill’s hand, and the frightened way he shifted his glanced from Bill to the door. He was happy the boy had found someone he could trust, but was saddened because they boy should have had more people he could trust; after all, the boy had only met Bill yesterday. He should have been able to rely on others before now. “Don’t worry Mr. Potter, I will not make young Mr. Weasley leave the room,” he said gently. “I’m going to perform a few scans, they won’t hurt so there is no need to be scared.” and with that he began.

Severus was astounded by the mass of injuries the boy had received in his eleven years of life: broken bones, at least one concussion, starvation, lacerations. He wanted to cry. Why did Lily’s son have to grow up in such conditions? He swallowed down the unshed tears, and said, “Well Mr. Potter, You will need some skele-gro, bruise cream, and will have to take nutrient potions for at least a month every morning.” He pulled the skele-gro from the cabinet and poured some into a glass. “This won’t taste nice, but it will heal your incorrectly healed bones. It shouldn’t hurt too much since most of the work is done, but if you need a pain potion say so, understand?”

Harry nodded and took the glass into his shaking hands. He inspected the Skele-gro before downing the strange looking, foul smelling potion. After a few minutes he felt a little uncomfortable, but it wasn’t painful. He looked up, and saw Bill and the professor staring intently at him. “It doesn’t hurt, I just feel a little uncomfortable.” They seemed satisfied by this answer for Bill visibly relaxed, and Professor Snape headed back to the cabinet. He watched as the professor pulled a jar from it, and came back. “This is bruise cream. You may place it on all of your bruises, and they should heal up within the next day or two no matter how sever they may be,” he said, before placing the jar into his hands. Harry quickly finished with the cream, and Severus took it back to the cabinet.

On his way back to the bed, Severus picked up the papers he had brought up with him. No time like the present to deliver his news. He sat down on the bed next to Harry’s. “You may want to sit down Mr. Weasley,” he said. “I have something I need to tell Harry, and since you are his soul mate you should hear it as well.”

Once Bill was seated, he said, “I want you both to promise me that you will never tell another being about any of the personal information I am about to reveal.” As soon as they both promised he began; he told them about how long ago he was best friends with Harry’s mother, joining the Death Eaters, his regrets over his friend’s death, and finally about the letter from Gringotts and the other letter that was sent to him. He didn’t mention the adoption papers though.

As soon as his tale was done, he handed the papers over for Bill and Harry to look at. Harry ran his fingers lovingly over his mother’s handwriting, tears forming in his eyes. Next they looked at the documents under the letters.

Harry’s eyes grew wide. “Y-You’re my godfather? And you want to a-adopt me?”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think. I'm willing to listen to any constructive criticism you may have.


	4. Gentle Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is chapter four. Sorry I didn't re-post it last night along with the other three. I will re-post chapter five later on today, and then hopefully get working on chapter six.

It had been two weeks since the day he had told Bill about his relatives. He had been allowed to sleep in the dormitory after that first night in the infirmary, though he didn’t get much sleep that night. He had been asked if he wanted to be adopted by his Potions Professor. He had been told not to answer right away, and too think on it over the course of the next few months, for which Harry was extremely grateful. He knew that he didn’t want to go back to his relatives, but he also didn’t know Professor Snape that well. So the three of them (Bill, Harry, and Severus) set up a time where they would get together two or three times a week to talk. The nights they were not together Harry would either spend with Ron in the common room or with Bill in his quarters.

No one knew about the soul bond. Professor Dumbledore thought it best to keep it a secret until Harry was older, and everyone else had agreed. They used the pretense that Bill needed a short time as a teaching assistant for him to train future Curse Breakers in order to explain his presences at the school. It was decided that Harry would go to the Weasley’s for Christmas where they would tell the rest of the family, but other than that, no one else could know.

Harry was walking down the hall heading towards his last class of the day. He was looking forward to today’s Charms class because his mate would be teaching. It was going to be Bill’s first time teaching the class without Professor Flitwick there. He had told Harry last night that he was nervous, but he had complete faith that his mate would do well.

Harry was the first one in the classroom. He stopped at the door, and smiled slightly at the look of complete nervousness on Bill’s face. “ _Professor,_ ” he said, playfully. Startled, Bill looked up from the scattering of papers that were all over the old wooden desk. “You’ll be fine, Bill. Stop worrying,” he added kindly, before taking his seat.

Bill never got a chance to reply before a couple of other students walked into the room talking noisily. So instead he smiled up warmly at his little mate. He took a deep breath, and calmly started organizing his papers. He had noticed over the past week how Harry always calmed him. It didn’t matter if he was angry, nervous, or sad, the boy’s presence made him relax. He guessed it was the bond and threw the thought out of his mind. It was best not to have his thoughts consumed by his mate during class, though that was hard to accomplish with the boy sitting right in front of him, literally. It seemed like the boy chose to sit in the seat directly in front of his. If the boy was older, he would have thought that Harry was deliberately messing with him by sitting there, but he was too innocent right now to have thoughts like that. Plus the boy didn’t know of Bill’s struggle with the bond pulling on him to complete it. Every day it was getting harder and harder for him to keep his hands in check. Other students wandered in, and it was time to start teaching. Bill was forced to stop all other thoughts and focus on the task in front of him.

 

                                                                               ***.***

Harry walked out of the class room with Ron at his side, headed towards Gryffindor Tower. Just has Harry had said, Bill did an excellent job teaching. He was patient, and helped those who were having problems. As they walked, Ron complained because they had sat so close to the front and that they never did that in any of their other classes. But Harry wasn’t listening to his friend, he was thinking about his mate. He didn’t know why, but he felt like he needed to be close to Bill; needed to be touched by him. That thought confused him. Did he want Bill to hug him? At night, when it was just the two of them, Bill would hold him in his arms as they sat on the couch. Maybe he just wanted to sit with him. After all, the Headmaster had said that the bond would want them to be close for the first month. Bill couldn’t “hold him” (as his mate called it) tonight because Severus was coming up to Bill’s room tonight, and Bill would only hold his hand or give him the occasional hug while he was there.

Harry liked Severus. He felt a little odd calling Professor Snape by his first name, but the man insisted on it when they weren’t in public. He was strict in class, but when it was just him, Bill, and Harry, the man would loosen up a little. Not much, because he was naturally a private person, but enough so that Harry could see the soft side he hid underneath his usually emotionless face.

“Arry! Harry!”

Ron calling his name drew him out of his thoughts about his godfather. They were now standing in the Gryffindor common room. Wow! He must have really been lost in thought. “What is it Ron?” he asked.

“Are you going to have another checkup tonight?” 

 Harry nodded yes to the question. They were using the excuse of ‘checkups’ for why Harry would disappear for hours. Harry didn’t like the fact that people thought he was sick or weak, but was dealing with it so that he could see Bill and Severus, but mainly Bill. “I won’t have to go to them in after two more weeks.” He said as they walked up to their room. He didn’t like the fact that Bill would be leaving so soon, but there was nothing he could do about it. He was going to miss him greatly.

He sat on his bed and started on some of his homework. It was four o’clock now, and he couldn’t head up to Bill’s room until after dinner. Hopefully, he could get a good amount done before he had to go eat. Bill didn’t like it when he slacked off on his work. Unfortunately, no one else in Gryffindor had the same ideas about homework except some of the older students, and one other first year called Hermione. She seemed nice, but a little bit too much of a know-it-all for him to want to hang around her.

He just managed to finish his potions essay, DADA work, and charms work before it was time to go down for supper.  

Bill sat at the head table in between Professor Flitwick and Severus. Over the past couple of weeks, he realized that Severus wasn’t actually a bad guy once you got to know him. He could hold a good conversation, and could be humorous at times. He had just finished talking to Professor Flitwick about the class earlier when he spotted Harry walking into the Hall. It had only been a couple of hours, but Bill had missed him desperately. He watched as he sat down next to his youngest brother, and was a little surprised by the small sting of jealousy he felt. Well that’s new.    

Severus fought back the urge to snort at Bill’s (quite obvious) staring. Though he’d never say it aloud, even if tortured, he found Bill’s protectiveness for Harry almost endearing. Harry deserved to have someone who will look after him, and protect him. “If you don’t want people to know, you might want to look elsewhere,” he said quietly.

Bill jumped slightly at the deep voice, and quickly averted his eyes from Harry. “Thank you. I’m finding it more difficult as the time passes to take my eyes off of him or to even leave his side. I want to be near him all the time, and it’s driving me nuts. This bond is going to be the death of me,” he said, resisting the urge to bang his head against the table.

Severus knew what the man was not saying. He admired Bill’s will to keep the bond at platonic touches. But that put a lot of strain on the bond, and Bill would be feeling the effects of that. He wanted to help the young man. They had formed a sort of, dare he say it, _friendship_ over the past few weeks, and hated seeing him suffer. “Have you read the book that has the information in it?” when Bill shook his head no, he continued. “Perhaps there is something in there about what to do when there is an age gap such as yours.”

Bill looked at him, eyes filled with gratitude. After the meal he caught Dumbledore in the hallway, and asked him if he could borrow the book. Dumbledore handed it over to him with a smile, and wished him luck before walking away. Bill was a little confused by that parting statement, but walked up to his room to start reading. He sat down in the sitting room on the couch. He had at least thirty minutes before Harry and Severus would arrive; that should give him enough time to read about possible measures to take when trying to hold off completing a bond. Why couldn’t Harry be older?

He quickly sifted through the pages until he came across the chapter on Soul Mates. He skipped through the stuff Dumbledore had told, and finally found a page that sounded promising. He read:

_The bond desires to be completed, and will sometimes force a completion if not done soon after the first meeting. But in the odd case where a bond mate was considerably younger than the other, and wasn’t old enough to marry (keep in mind that you could be married as young as thirteen in the past), the older mate could stave off the urge to complete the bond with platonic touching and small kisses. The touching wouldn’t have done much, but the kisses would take away the strain for a short period of time. Over time, it is believed that the kisses would stop working. So depending on the difference in age, the kisses would have to be used sparingly. I believe one or two kisses at a time would be used; one if the younger had a couple of years to go before coming of age, and two if closer._

Bill silently closed the book, and stared at the opposite wall in shock. He had to kiss Harry! Not that he didn’t want to, but… He got up and started pacing the room. Harry was only eleven, he had probably never even thought about kissing before! What was he supposed to do? The sound of knocking halted his steps. Swallowing down his panic, he walked over and opened the door to see his adorable bond mate, and possible father-in-law on the other side. He stood there staring. How could he defile the boy in such a manner? Sure it was only a kiss, but he was so young.

Harry watched as his bond mate opened the door, and just stood there. That wasn’t like him. Usually Bill gave him a hug, and welcomed them into the room. He saw a slight flash of something like worry or pain come into his mates eyes, and began to panic a little. “Bill, are you ok? Are you hurt?” he asked, his voice dripping with worry.

Severus saw the look as well, but he saw what Harry didn’t see. Bill’s look wasn’t for himself, but for Harry. He knew Bill had borrowed the book from Dumbledore, and wondered if that had anything to do with it. Thinking quickly he said, “Harry, why don’t you go down to my classroom, go into the far cabinet, and grab one of the pain relieving potions. I believe Bill may have a headache.” Without a second thought the boy was tearing down the hall towards the classroom. Severus was glad that Harry had forgotten that the infirmary was closer. He guessed that he had about ten minutes to talk to Bill alone. “May I come in?” he asked.

Bill nodded, and stepped aside, allowing the tall man in. “Thank you, for sending him away, I’m not sure I can see him right now,” he said quietly.

Severus sat in his usual chair across from the couch. He saw the book on the coffee table. “I’m guessing you read something unpleasant,” it was phrased as a question, but was more of a statement. Bill’s only response was to pick up the book, turn to a certain page, and pass it too him. Severus read the paragraph, and slowly lowered the book to his lap. “I see” was all he said. What was he supposed to say? Harry was too young for Bill to be doing that, but unless he did it there was good chance he would lose control and take Harry unwillingly.

“How can I do that to him?” Bill whispered. “He’s only eleven, I’m twenty-one. This relationship shouldn’t even exist. I’ve fallen for Harry, but I shouldn’t have. It’s this bond. If I had just fallen for him normally I wouldn’t have this issue, but now I have this stupid bond pulling for me to sleep with him. And now I have to kiss him… Dumbledore told me I was only supposed to hold his hand or hug him. Of course I’ve kind of followed that. I do hold him in my arms when we sitting on the couch, and pet his hair, but that’s—,” Bill cut himself off when he realized he was rambling, and possibly revealing too much.

Severus stared up at the now quiet man. He had guessed that Dumbledore had said something to Bill, but that man had read the book so he must have known about the kissing, and about how he would be unable to keep his hands to himself. What game was that old coot playing at? “Bill, I am Harry’s godfather, and while I don’t like that he will have to have his first kiss at such a young age, I will ok it so long as you get his permission first,” he said kindly. He really did not want him kissing Harry, but it was the only way. “Imagine what would happen if you lost control at some point, and forced yourself on Harry? Not only would he be hurt, but you would be as well. I have no desire to see my godson suffer because his mate didn’t have the mettle to give him one little kiss.” As soon as he finished speaking, Harry burst into the room panting, and holding the bottle of pain reliever.

Severus stood up, and placed the still open book on the table. He had no desire to hear or see them kiss. “I will be taking my leave. We can get together tomorrow night.” As he walked by Bill he whispered quietly so that the boy wouldn’t hear, “Talk to him or I will be forced to tell him about what the bond is doing to you, and we both don’t want that.” And with that he was gone.

Harry watched in bewilderment as Severus left the room. He looked back at his mate, and saw him sitting dejectedly on the couch. Cautiously he walked over, and held out the potion. “Here’s the potion, Bill,” he said gently.

Silently, Bill took the potions out of Harry’s small hands, and placed it on the table before pulling Harry down into his lap. He hated this. Where was he even supposed to begin to explain. He was so lost in thought about how to explain it, he didn’t even notice when Harry got off his lap and picked up the book that was lying open on the table until the boys voice said, “We have to kiss?”

His head shot up quickly. “Um… That… Um,” Bill breathed in deeply, calming his frayed nerves. “We don’t have to kiss. It’s just something that the book recommends. But who knows if it will even help? The book is called _Myths or Facts_.”

“But the book said something about the pull to complete will put strain on the older mate, and I don’t want you to be in pain so…” Harry said. He wasn’t quite sure what they had to do to complete the bond, but he did know that by completing it they would be married, and he wasn’t ready for that yet. He did know that married couples shared a bed, was that it? The Headmaster had said he could only come to Bill’s room so long as he stayed out of Bill’s bedroom, and didn’t stay the night. He didn’t know why everyone was so against him and Bill being alone in a bedroom together. He did share a dorm with a bunch of other boys who sometimes climbed into the wrong bed in the middle of the night making so that two people were sharing a bed, so that part confused him. Maybe in their case, since they were soul mates, sleeping in the same bed would complete the bond?

Bill shook his head slightly. “Harry, you don’t understand,” he said. “We are ten years apart in age, and you are six years away from being of legal age. Kissing you would be considered a crime to the ministry. We might get away with it because of the bond, but I also don’t want to force you to kiss me.”

“You won’t be forcing me,” Harry said adamantly. “I want you to kiss me, and if you kissing me helps you then all the better. And about the ministry, I don’t care.” That was true. He did want Bill to kiss him. He’d only seen kissing on the television when he had caught a rare glimpse at it. It was one of his aunt’s weird shows that she liked to watch called a ‘soap opera’. He couldn’t see how soap had anything to do with shows nor did he hear singing, but whatever, the kissing looked interesting.

Bill smiled up at his strong little mate. He held out a hand for Harry to take. When the boy took it, he gently pulled him down onto the couch next to him. He looked deep into Harry’s beautiful green eyes, and said, “Are you one hundred percent sure that you want to kiss me?”

Harry nodded once, never breaking eye contact with Bill. “I want to.”

Bill leaned in slowly, giving Harry all the time he needed in case he decided to pull away. He would be a little hurt if that happened, but would respect his mate’s decision. But the boy didn’t move, and Bill gently pressed their lips together in a chaste kiss. It was a light kiss, just the gentle pressing of their lips together, but it was powerful enough to cause both of them to close their eyes, and moan softly.  Harry’s lips were so soft; it took all of his will power to pull away from them.

Instantly he felt the strain on the bond recede. Slowly he opened his eyes, and saw Harry begin to open his. The boy looked a little nervous, but that only added to the beauty that Bill saw before him. “D-Did it work?” the boy asked hesitantly. Bill only nodded his response, unable to form words.

 

                                                                                           ***.***

Harry lay in his bed that night, thinking about how soft and gentle Bill’s lips had been against his own. Bill seemed to be worried that he had pushed him too far. Before he left, he told him that he had enjoyed it; hopefully that would easy his mate’s nerves. Harry was secretly pleased that Bill worried so much about him. For the first time in his life, he truly felt safe and happy. As he drifted off to sleep, his last thought was that hopefully Bill would kiss him again soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be prepared for adorableness in the next chapter!


	5. Christmas Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am still not satisfied with this chapter, but I can't seem to find a way of making it better. It's mainly just the beginning I don't like, but maybe you all will feel differently. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Where's Waldo

_Dear Bill,_

_School’s going great! It’s been busy, but I’ve learned a lot. I wish you were still teaching Charms. Professor Flitwick is good, but I miss seeing you all the time. Oh! Ron and I made a new friend at the end of last month. You remember that know-it-all girl Hermione? Ron said something that hurt her feelings, so she went and hid in the girl’s bathroom. But a troll got into the school dungeon, and Ron and I went to go get her. The troll was in the bathroom! We fought it off! We got into a little bit of trouble for not listening to the professors… But at least we saved her, and made a new friend! Severus told me to tell you that I was “the perfect picture of Gryffindor foolishness and idiocy”. I don’t think it’s foolish to save someone if they’re in danger, but whatever._  
I can’t wait for Christmas break! It’s been difficult keeping this secret from Ron. He keeps asking me who I’m writing to, and considering he knows that my “family” hates me…   
I wish these letters traveled faster. I miss you! Can’t wait to see you in December!  
Love, 

_Harry_

***.***

 

Harry slowly stepped off the train at Platform 9 ¾. He looked around the crowded platform, trying to spot Bill’s long red hair, but having no luck. Ron ran into him from behind. “Harry, you gotta move so that others can get off the train too,” he said, as he shoved Harry farther away from the train door.

Harry scowled at Ron for distracting him from looking for Bill. Now that Ron had stopped pushing him, he continued his search of “Where’s Waldo”. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he spotted a group of red-heads near the back of the station. He grabbed Ron (who was looking in the opposite direction), and started forcing his way through the crowd toward the Weasley bunch. 

Bill was looking anxiously around the platform for his Soul Mate. Percy and the twins had come over a couple of minutes ago, but Harry and Ron were nowhere to be found. He knew that he was being stupid for worrying; the train had only pulled up little more than five minutes ago. ‘ _They’re probably saying goodbye to their friends on the train,’_ he thought absentmindedly, as he continued to look for them. Then he spotted an unmistakable mop of messy black hair making his way slowly through the crowd of wizards. He wanted to rush over to him, but he held himself back, forcing himself to wait patiently for them to make their way over. They had kept their meetings secret while he was at Hogwarts, and he didn’t want his family questioning his familiarity with Harry before they were out of public.

When Harry and Ron reached the group of Weasleys, it was a whirlwind of activity as Mrs. Weasley hustled everyone around the portkey that would take them to the Burrow. Once there, she bustled about ordering everyone to take their stuff up to their rooms, leaving no time for the soul mates to say hello or even for Harry to marvel at the oddly shaped house.

Harry followed Ron up the creaking staircase, listening attentively as Ron pointed out everyone’s rooms; making sure he knew which one was Bill’s so that he could visiting him later. Once they reached the room he was to be sharing with Ron, he quickly laid his suitcase of the extra bed, and excused himself by saying he needed to use the restroom. He rushed down the stairs, and stopped at the door leading into Bill’s room. He was nervous. Bill might not want to talk to him right now or he might be busy. Ignoring his doubts, Harry raised his hand.

Bill opened the door as soon as he heard the light knocking sounds, already knowing who was on the other side. He briefly took in the sight of the beautiful nervous boy before quickly ushering him inside, and closing the door. He wrapped in arms around Harry, smiling brightly as the hug was reciprocated. “How was the train ride? I’m sorry I didn’t help you get through the crowd, I didn’t want to draw attention,” he said while holding him.

“It was good. Ron and I played Exploding Snap while Hermione read,” Harry said, into Bill’s warm chest. “But I really wanted to see you again so it was a bit long. Do you know why I feel like I need to be close to you?” he asked, pulling away from Bill so that he could look at him. He had a weird feeling, like he was missing something he needed; it took him almost two weeks to realize it was Bill he needed.

“It’s just the bond,” Bill said, looking into Harry’s deep green eyes. “I feel it too. We will continue to feel it until the bond is completed, but we can’t complete it until you are of age. The pull will lessen with the more time we spend together during the holiday,” he explained. He wished Harry didn’t have to feel like that, but there was nothing he could do.

Before either of them could break the comfortable silence that had settled between them, Mrs. Weasley called everyone down for dinner. They walked down the stairs, and even with the rush of people scrambling to find a place to sit, managed to find seats next to each other. Bill was sitting next to Charlie (whom Harry was briefly introduced to), and harry was next to Fred. Dinner was a loud affair, with everyone yelling over each other trying to talk about school, work or just about anything that came to mind. Harry had never felt more at home.  

Once dinner was over Mrs. Weasley told everyone to go into the living room, and that there was some news that they all needed to hear. Everyone left, feeling both excited and nervous; what kind of news was it?

Bill, Harry, Molly, and Arthur, had talked about letting everyone know on the first night of vacation almost a month before. Bill and Harry had both said that they would not like being unable to talk openly with each other or to hold hands, and Molly and Arthur also thought that it would be hard for them to hide their obvious closeness.   

So everyone gathered in the living room. Bill, Fred and Charlie on the couch, Mr. Weasley in his armchair with Mrs. Weasley behind him, Harry had managed to grab a random wooden chair right across from the couch, and the rest were spread across the floor eagerly glancing at the Weasley patriarch, and quietly asking each other what the news might be.

“Be quiet,” Mrs. Weasley spoke loudly. “Let your father talk.”

“Um… Right, well…” Mr. Weasley said, flustered. “Since its Bill’s news we’ll let him say it.” Mrs. Weasley gave him a disapproving glare, but silently agreed that maybe Bill should be the one to say it.

Bill looked at Harry to make sure he was ok. And after getting a slight nod said, “You all have heard the myths about Soul Mates, right? The one person you’re fated to be with?” Getting a nod from everyone he continued. “Well, it’s not a myth, and I’ve found mine.” He raised his hand to stop the flood of questions that came pouring out. “Dumbledore himself proclaimed us soul mates,” knowing that saying that would stop any other questions about it being “real or not” that his sibling might have. “Now I want you guys to know that my soul mate is a boy, and I want you to meet him. But let me warn you,” his eyes became hard, “If any, and I mean any of you, hurt him or pick on him, you will regret it.” Everyone gulped and nodded. They all knew not to get Bill angry; he was almost as bad as their mum.

“So Bill, when do we get to meet him?” Charlie asked, trying to break the nervous tension.

Bill stood up, and walked over to the chair that Harry was sitting in. He went around it, and placed his hands on the back, his fingers just brushing against Harry’s shoulders. “He’s right here.”

                                                                                          ***.***

Bill sat on the edge of his bed holding his head in his hands. He was exhausted, but too wound up to sleep. It had taken over two hours to calm everyone down, and to explain how they found out. He had stood behind Harry during the whole thing, brushing his fingers across the small boy shoulders at random intervals, and resisting the urge to cuddle with him because he didn’t think his family was quite ready to see that. He was worried about Harry as well. He had felt him lightly shaking when he had briefly hugged him before heading up to bed. It didn’t help that they had to tell everyone a little about his abuse to explain why he might possibly stay with them over the summer instead of at his relatives. He hoped that Ron wouldn’t bother him before going to sleep.  

He had just decided to get dressed for bed when the door opened, and Charlie walked in. Bill and Charlie had long since given up on knocking before entering each other’s rooms; they were too close for that. Charlie walked over, pulled out the old wooden chair from under the desk, and sat down.

“You really love him don’t you,” he said, so quietly Bill could barely hear him. “I’m trying to understand it. I mean, you’re ten years older than him. He’s eleven! How are you in love with him already? I know you said something about the soul bond pulling you together, but that doesn’t really explain you being in love with him when you only met a few months ago.”

Bill sighed. “No, it doesn’t really explain it,” he said. “You might as well join he on the bed, I know that chair is uncomfortable.” Charlie chuckled lightly as he stood up, and climbed onto the bed, sitting at the end while Bill sat with his back leaning on the headboard.

“I told you guys about the Pull because I didn’t want you all freaking out on me when I hold Harry’s hand or even in my arms, but I didn’t fully explain it. I said that the pull just wanted up to be close together, but it’s actually pulling me to complete the bond. But I won’t until Harry is old enough. We’ve found a way to lessen the urge so that I won’t do anything to him,” Bill added quickly after seeing Charlie’s warning look. “But no, the pull doesn’t explain my loving Harry. You wouldn’t think that an eleven your old would be a good person to have conversations with, but Harry is different. He is smart, funny, and a good listener. Severus, him, and I actually had some good talks while I was at Hogwarts. As I got to know him more, I just kept falling harder. From—,” he paused. Nervously, he licked his lips. “Charlie, you have to promise me that this won’t leave the room.”

Charlie looked intensely at his brother. He thought he knew what Bill was going to say, and honestly he wasn’t sure how he felt about it, but seeing his brother so nervous had him nodding. He knew that Bill would need someone he could confide in. This couldn’t be easy on him. “I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

“I think I started to fall for him before the soul bond was even recognized. From the moment I saw him trying to get onto the platform, I thought he was beautiful. Do you think I’m disgusting?” he whispered.

“Did you want him sexually then?” Charlie asked, bluntly.

“No!” Bill almost yelled. “I mean, I don’t think so. I thought he was cute, but I wasn’t thinking of him in that manner until after the soul bond started pulling us together. But how am I supposed to know? The soul bond started just minutes after we met.”

Charlie sighed. He wasn’t qualified to be a psychologist. But being one of the more level headed in his family, he was used to them coming to him with their problems. “If you say you didn’t want him that way before the bond then I believe you. Maybe if you weren’t soul mates, once Harry grew up a bit, you might have fallen for him. But you won’t know, and you never will so there is no point in stressing about something you’ll never know,” he said.

Bill gave a small smile, and moved to wrap an arm around his brother’s shoulders. While his worries were not completely gone, he did feel a bit lighter after talking about them. “Thank you,” he said quietly. Straightening up, he said, “Now, how’s life with the dragons?”

                                                                                       

                                                                                ***…***

Harry slowly wandered down the creaky stairs of the Burrow. The sun was just coming over the horizon, but he couldn’t go back to sleep so he decided to head down stairs since he couldn’t be in Bill’s room unless he was awake. He walked into the living room, the sun making just enough light for him to see the furniture. He sat down on the couch that Bill had sat on last night, curled up in the middle so that he could look out the window. He was nervous about how this morning would go. Ron hadn’t said anything to him when they had gone back to the room. He just changed for bed, and got under the covers, completely ignoring him. He didn’t even respond when he had said good night. He felt tears building in his eyes. He didn’t want to lose his best friend just because Bill was his soul mate. Did Ron think he was some kind of freak now?   

The tears had just started to fall when he felt a pair of arms circle around him from behind, pulling him into a comforting embrace. “Shh, it’s ok Green Eyes,” Bill’s sleep filled voice whispered in his ear. “What’s the matter?”

Harry leaned back onto Bill’s firm chest. He still had a hard time opening up, but over the past few months, Severus and Bill had helped make it easier. “Is everyone going to hate me now?” He said after a few minutes of silence. He felt the older man tense up, but decided to ignore it and continue on, his voice thick with held in cries. “Everyone gave me weird looks as we went off to bed, and Ron didn’t even say goodnight to me…  I don’t want to cause any problems in your family. I can leave before they all wake up if you want?”

Bill was wide awake now. He had gotten up to go to the bathroom when he heard someone walking down the stairs. Curious as to whom it was, he followed them. He wasn’t too surprised to see Harry sitting on the couch. He knew how difficult it was to sleep in an unfamiliar place. But he also knew that wasn’t the complete reason why Harry was down here, he could feel that something was wrong with him. So he went up, and curled his arms around the small boy, comforting him and asking what was wrong. Harry response though shocked him. Why would he think that he would send him away just because one or two of his family member might not be ok with them? Instead of asking Harry why he thought that he would be sent away (he was sure it had something to do with his asshole relatives), he decided to reassure him. “I’m not going to tell you that everyone is ok with us being soul mates because I’m sure one or two of them don’t like it. But I will tell you that I will not send you, my little Green Eyes, away just because one of my brothers or sister doesn’t like the fact that we are together,” he said, hoping it would be enough to reassure him.  

Harry looked up into Bill’s warm eyes and saw the truth in them. He didn’t say anything, just smiled and cuddled deeper into his mate; instantly falling asleep. Bill didn’t want to move too much lest he wake the sleeping boy so he rearranged them so that they were lying down with Harry using his chest as a pillow. He pulled the blanket that was lying on the back of the couch over them to keep them warm, and squeezed his arms tighter around his Green Eyes before he too fell for Morpheus’ call.

That was how Mrs. Weasley found them when she came down to make breakfast. She resisted the urge to wake them up and ask for an explanation when she saw the tear tracks on Harry’s peacefully sleeping face. Plus it didn’t look like they had been there all night so she would overlook it this once. But Merlin help them if she caught them doing that again before Harry was old enough.

As the smells of Mrs. Weasley’s delicious cooking filled the house, one by one the rest of the family came down the stairs. Each one stopped and stared at the couple lying on the couch, but Mrs. Weasley quietly ordered them to leave them be and come sit down. 

Harry slowly came back onto consciousness. The first thing he registered was that his mattress and pillow were harder than normal, but not uncomfortable. As he gained more of his senses he realized that it wasn’t a mattress he was laying on, but a person. He thought back, and remembered the conversation he had with Bill right before falling asleep. For a moment he panicked because they weren’t supposed to sleep together, but calmed when he recalled that that only applied to bedrooms. He lay there not really thinking of anything for a while, just enjoying being close to Bill; he really had missed him. He heard the low hum of voices in the kitchen, and could smell the food so he knew it wouldn’t be long before Bill awoke. He sighed lightly when Bill finally began to stir. “Morning sleepy head,” he said quietly.

“Morning,” Bill replied, his voice gravelly. He never thought that sleeping like this would feel so comfortable. He lay there for a minute, contentedly enjoying Harry’s silent company. “We should probably go eat breakfast. I’m starved,” he said. He sighed sadly when Harry’s warm body left him.

They walked into the kitchen, and all conversation ceased. Harry tensed. He hated having everyone look at him. Bill gently placed his hand on Harry’s shoulder and led him to one of the empty seats, taking the one next to him. Mrs. Weasley glared at everyone as she placed a couple of plates in front of the two late comers. Slowly, the talking started back up again with only the occasional glance at them. Bill wondered just how difficult this Christmas was going to be.

                                                                                         ***…***

Bill woke up with a smile. It was Christmas morning, and he couldn’t wait to see Harry’s face after he opened his present. He was also excited to see what Harry got him. The family had gone shopping a few days ago to allow the younger ones to buy gifts.

 As he got dressed to go downstairs he thought about how this vacation had gone. At first it had been a bit difficult. Harry had been closed off from everyone thinking that they hated him, but several hours after that awkward first breakfast Ron asked Harry to play a game of chess. Little by little everything went back to normal, well aside from the sporadic odd looks they would get when they held hands, hugged, or occasionally cuddled with each other on the couch. But other than that it was turning out to be a pretty wonderful Christmas.

He was walking down the stairs unhurriedly when he was almost bowled over by Ron, Ginny, and the twins in their rush to reach their gifts. He was about to peal himself off the wall that he had plastered himself to so that he wouldn’t die by sibling stampede when he heard Harry’s beautiful laughter from above him. He looked up to the landing, and spotted the boy almost doubled over in giggles. He took on an air of false indignation. “I’m deeply wounded that my soul mate would laugh at me while my own family tries to kill me by running me over,” he said while trying to hold in his own laughter.

It took Harry a few tries before he finally got is laughter under control, Bill’s comment not helping any. He rushed down the stairs, and grabbed Bill’s larger hand as he passed. “Come on, Bill! We are going to be late,” he said, dragging the older man down the creaky stairs. Harry was still a little worried that this Christmas would be like the ones at his uncle’s, but holding onto Bill’s hand helped calm those fears. Meanwhile, Bill quietly wondered if one could be late if the Christmas celebrations were taking place in one’s own home. 

A few minutes after Bill and Harry had seated themselves on the floor by the fireplace, Percy and Charlie came down. Charlie sat next to them, and Percy sat on the couch next to the twins, Ron and Ginny were by the tree. Once the Weasley parents were seated in the chairs, most of the younger kids rushed to grab their gifts. At a more sedate pace Bill, Charlie, and Percy went to grab theirs; Bill also bringing Harry’s since the boy had been nervous about getting too close to the tree.

Harry carefully opened each gift he had received, his smile widening as he looked at each one. He got a several different kinds of candy from his school mates, a maroon sweater with an gold ‘H’ on it from Mrs. Weasley, a book on charms from Severus, and an invisibility cloak from Dumbledore with a note saying that it was his dad’s. Now he only had Bill’s present left. He carefully unwrapped the green sparkling paper, and pulled out a box. He lifted off the lid and saw a roughly shaped silver pendant with Egyptian hieroglyphics and a cat on it attached to a black cord; he could also feel a slight bit of magic in it. He slowly picked it up, and with a nervous look in his eyes, held it out to Bill for him to put it on him.

Bill obliged him, and once it was on said, “In Egyptian mythology, cats represented protection. I’ve cast a few protection spells and charms on it so that it can help keep you safe while I’m away.”

Harry’s smile was almost blinding to look at. “Thank you,” he said. He didn’t think he had ever loved something so much, Bill really was amazing. Harry reached over, and grabbed his gift to Bill. “Here, you should open it soon. I know the man said that it would be fine, but I’m still worried. And since I’ve opened yours, you should open mine.”

Bill looked at the boy quizzically before taking the medium sized box wrapped in blue and silver paper. He ripped the paper off. On the box was written a note.

_In your letters you mentioned more than once that you were a little lonely, and wished that I was there (honestly I felt the same), so I got you this so that you wouldn’t feel as alone anymore._

Even more curious than before, Bill opened the plain looking box and let out a loud gasp. Everyone turned to see what had caused Bill to gasp but only saw him staring into a box. Slowly he reached in, and pulled out the most adorable Egyptian Mau kitten. He gently placed the little kitten in his lap, and began stroking it behind the ears. “Thank you, she’s perfect,” he whispered to Harry. 

Harry smiled happily. He knew that Egyptian Maus were one of Bill’s favorite animals, and when he saw her in the shop he just knew he had to get it for him. “You’re welcome. I was told that they make great companions, and are very loyal,” he said.

“What’re yoo gonnta ‘ame ‘er,” Ron asked around the piece of fudge he was eating.

Bill looked at the gray kitten, and thought for a minute. “How about Nedjem, what do you think?” he asked looking at the cat. She responded by purring loudly and curling up in his lap for a nap.

This had turned into a better Christmas than he could have ever imagined. And while he was sad that Harry was going to be going back to school. He was happy that he now had Nedjem; something Harry had given him to take home with him. After the rest of the presents had been opened, everyone was rushing about to put them in their room or to help make more food. In the chaos, no one notice Bill give Harry a gently kiss on the cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The necklace Bill gave Harry is actually based off a necklace I myself was giving by a friend. I wore the necklace almost constantly, and sadly the sting broke after a couple of years, but I still have the pendant. 
> 
> I chose an Egyptian Mau because it is one of my favorite types of cats, and partly because of the same friend mentioned before. 
> 
> Nedjem means Sweet

**Author's Note:**

> Nothing beyond kissing will take place until Harry is older.


End file.
